Dive team recovers body of boater

JACKMAN, Maine – The body of a registered Maine guide whose empty boat was found Tuesday floating in Big Wood Pond was recovered Wednesday morning by the Maine Warden Service Dive Team.

The dive team recovered the body of Stephen Coleman, 59, of Dennistown in Big Wood Pond, the warden service said in a press release.

The warden service began its search for Coleman on Tuesday afternoon, after it was reported that an unoccupied boat had been floating on the pond shortly after noontime.

“That was when we started to search, along with some local residents, the Jackman Fire Department, the Maine Forest Service and our own aircraft,” said Lt. Kevin Adam of the warden service. “We searched the water, we searched along the shoreline and in the area. We came up with some clues, and this morning we returned with the Dive Team.”

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At approximately 9:30 a.m., Coleman’s body was discovered in eight feet of water near the confluence of the Moose River and Big Wood Pond. Coleman owned a campground along the river and had launched a 14-foot boat from a private boat landing Tuesday.

A life jacket was found in the boat, though Coleman was not wearing one. Coleman’s body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Augusta to determine a cause of death.

The Maine Warden Service said it will continue its investigation into what caused the accident.